US EditionTurkey Arrests Youth Activist, Drawing European Protest
TURKEY, AUG 5 – Enes Hocaoğulları was detained for criticizing police violence and opposition mayor arrests, amid a crackdown that has seen over 500 political detentions in nine months, officials said.
- On Tuesday, Enes Hocaoğulları, Turkey’s youth delegate to the Council of Europe, was detained at Ankara’s Esenboğa Airport upon arrival from France, facing charges of `publicly disseminating misleading information` and `inciting hatred and enmity`.
- During his Strasbourg address on March 27, 2025, Hocaoğulları criticized police violence and the detention of opposition mayors, including Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.
- Prosecutors in Istanbul and Ankara initially opened separate investigations into his speech, later merged in Ankara, leading to his questioning and arrest order.
- The Council of Europe’s Congress demanded, 'The Congress has already expressed deep concern about the state of democracy in Turkey and called on the Turkish authorities to stop prosecuting and detaining elected representatives from opposition parties,' according to Congress President Marc Cools.
- Amid an ongoing crackdown, 14 LGBTQ+ organizations warned the arrest threatens free speech and youth rights as over 500 opponents have been detained in nine months.
16 Articles
16 Articles
Turkey arrests youth LGBTQ activist following Erdogan criticism
Turkey has arrested an LGBTQ+ youth activist over criticism he made abroad at Europe's main rights body about the repression of opponents by President Tayyip Erdogan's government. Enes Hocaogullari, 23, gave a speech in Strasbourg in March criticising police violence and detentions plus democratic backsliding in Turkey, saying: "The youth has had enough ... We are ready to go on the streets to regain our freedoms." He was detained on Tuesday nig…
Turkey Detains Erdogan Critic After Council of Europe Speech
Turkish authorities have detained an activist who chided Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government for “democratic backsliding” at a Council of Europe body, his lawyer said on Wednesday. Enes Hocaoğulları was detained on Tuesday as he arrived at Ankara Airport. “He’s currently in Sincan prison, on the outskirts of Ankara,” added his lawyer, Mahmut Seren, who called the action “politically motivated.” Hocaoğulları—an advocate of human r…
A young activist has been arrested in Turkey for denouncing the "democracy backsliding" in his country during a speech before the Council of Europe. The young man was arrested after landing at Ankara airport following a stay in France. His lawyer calls it a "political arrest."
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